Join us at the Center for the Study of Staten Island as we contend with the difficult tradeoffs and consider the transformative possibilities of managing growth while increasing the Borough's housing stock. Presentations will include a new Center research study of affordable housing trends on Staten Island that offers directions to better link housing with transportation and jobs. Panels will examine the future development of both North and South Shore communities and the revitalizing potential of a light rail system for the Borough.

Featured Speakers:

Vicki Been, the Elihu Root Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law and the Director of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University. Her areas of research include affordable housing, exactions, land use, predatory lending, smart growth, and takings.

Jonathan Bowles, Director of The Center for an Urban Future, a public policy organization dedicated to improving the overall health of New York City and serving its long-term interests by targeting problems facing low-income and working-class neighborhoods in all five boroughs.

Michael Friedman, Senior Vice President and Director of the Mortgage Insurance Fund (SONYMA). SONYMA was created in 1970 in order to alleviate shortages of funds available in the private banking system for residential mortgages within New York State. Mr. Friedman previously served as a vice president of Asset Guaranty Insurance Company, where he was responsible for the insurance of multifamily housing revenue bonds nationwide. Prior to that, he covered home builders, mortgage bankers and thrift institutions for New York City-based banks and investment banks.

R. Randy Lee, Leewood Real Estate Group. R. Randy Lee is a leading developer on Staten Island. His firm, Leewood Real Estate Group has established itself as one of the leading low-rise housing developers in the New York Metropolitan area. Leewood is and continues to be committed to the development of quality market rate and affordable housing, having successfully completed literally thousands of residences since its' founding. Leewood Real Estate Group and Mr. Lee are known for both the creation and revitalization of communities in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. By developing clusters of housing within an existing community, Leewood has been able to help revive worn down neighborhoods with new residential and commercial energy, creating new vibrant communities that thrive at every level.

Martin Robins, Senior Fellow, Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, Rutgers University. Martin E. Robins is the founding director of VTPI - a position he has held since 1998. Since its inception, the institute has established a critical role in the analysis of land use and transportation, transportation finance, and freight. Prior to the institute's founding, Robins had a 25-year career in transportation policy and planning in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. He is coauthor of a report titled "A Recent History of NJ Transit's Operations and Capital Budgeting: Too Many Objectives, Too Few Resources, No Accountability."

Rae Rosen, Senior Economist and Assistant Vice President at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Ms. Rosen represents the bank to the business, banking, government, nonprofit, academic and media groups interested in the regional economy. She is a member of several economic advisory panels to state and local governments, business associations and nonprofits that work to further regional development. Her responsibilities include analyzing the economic conditions and critical issues that affect the regions economy.

Jonathan Peters, College of Staten Island and UTRC, and Cameron Gordon, University of Canberra and UTRC Jonathan Peters and Cameron Gordon are the co-authors of the 2008 Staten Island Affordable Housing Study as well as the authors of the 2004 Staten Island Transportation Needs Assessment for the S.I. Chamber of Commerce. Their areas of interest include transportation finance, public private partnerships, social equity in transportation funding, regional planning and road privatization.

This event is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Staten Island in cooperation with The University Transportation Research Center - Region II